Undergraduate Courses at Swinburne
Swinburne offers university courses, also known as degrees or undergraduate programs, at its Hawthorn, Lilydale and Prahran campuses.
Undergraduate course options and terminology:
Associate degree
In 2009 Swinburne will introduced the delivery of Associate Degrees. An Associate Degree Engineering is a 2-year undergraduate degree that is typically equivalent to the first 1.5 years of a Bachelor Degree, plus 6 months of vocational TAFE studies.
The entry requirements for the Associate Degrees are a little more relaxed than the equivalent Bachelor Degree with the ENTER range being lower. Graduates fast track their way into a relevant Bachelor degree and typically receive 1.5 years of exemptions. Alternatively they can go into the workforce and into their area of profession at an entry level.
Degree
Degree courses, also known as bachelor degrees or undergraduate courses, require a minimum of three years (or equivalent part-time) and 24 units of study. They provide students with a professional qualification.
Entry usually requires satisfactory completion of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), and in some cases certain prerequisite studies, or their equivalent, or an appropriate level of TAFE studies.
Many degrees at Swinburne offer an optional Industry-Based Learning (IBL) year, education abroad opportunities and an additional specialised honours year. A number of double degree courses are also available.
If you are interested in pathways from a TAFE qualification to an undergraduate degree, Pathways Direct will help you move to the next step with ease.
Double degree
Double degrees combine two areas of study. Graduates are awarded with two degrees on completion of their studies, but the duration of a double degree is usually only an additional year of full-time study (as compared to a single degree) instead of the full duration of two degree programs.Electives
Electives are stand-alone subjects that you can undertake as part of your course. They may build on an area of professional interest, or may just be an area you are eager to learn more about.Electives Plus
Swinburne offered Electives Plus for the first time in 2007.
Since then it has become a popular point of differnece, providing degree students with options to broaden their career skills and strengthen their employability by allowing them to select from units outside their degree discipline.
Honours
Many degrees at Swinburne offer an additional specialised honours year. An honours year is intended to provide students who possess demonstrated academic ability the opportunity to pursue their undergraduate studies at an advanced level. This allows them to deepen their intellectual understanding in their major field and to develop their research skills.The honours course is a recognised point of entry into postgraduate research studies.
Honours students are required to complete a substantial original piece of research for their thesis, developing their ability to conceptualise problems, devise research strategies and carry out individual research work under the supervision of a member of staff with expertise in the area.
Major
A major is a set of subjects studied throughout a degree that allows you to broaden your knowledge in a particular area. The number of subjects in a major may vary between courses.Minor
A minor is a set of subjects (shorter than a major) studied throughout a degree. The number of subjects in a minor may vary between courses.